The Blue Ridge Young Birders met at the Great Valu in Crozet at 7:30 am, and carpooled to Albemarle County Community Park. The Park is situated in the Old Trail neighboorhood, but is fairly underbirded compared to the nearby Old Trail Golf Course area.

We parked and walked down the hill into the park, hearing Golden-crowned Kinglets and White-throated Sparrows singing. Shortly, we walked into a sizeable sparrow flock, dominated by Song Sparrows and Field Sparrows. We also found a good number of White-crowned Sparrows singing, and were able to get fleeting views of the striking plumage of adult birds. Several minutes were spent checking every sparrow, until a Lincoln’s was found foraging a few feet away, right below our noses. The bird offered great views, and was a long awaited Albemarle County Lifer for Baxter.

We continued on towards the marsh, where we hoped to find Marsh Wrens. We arrived, and after pishing and playback, none responded. The trail led into thick grasses and brambles, and many Swamp Sparrows were calling, occasionally seen as they flew into cover.

We came into a clearing, and walked the edge towards a second marsh, where the ones who were smart enough to bring boots walked in. The sneaker-wearers watched from dry ground, waiting for Marsh Wrens to show themselves. With no luck, we continued down the edge, stopping briefly to enjoy the fruit of a persimmon tree.

The White-crowned Sparrows were even more abundant at the end of the trail, and many of the juveniles were brave enough to watch us from the tops of the brambles. We saw a rather light-lored and orange-billed White-crowned Sparrow, possibly the rare western gambelli subspecies?

After finishing up at the park, we drove to the main Old Trail to find that it was pretty quiet. The sparrows were few and far between, so we turned around to head back. As we walked the trail, we spotted a dragonfly hovering low over some grasses, and watched it perch, hanging from the blade of grass. A Shadow Darner, a fairly common species that always found flying and rarely lands. A special treat for the dragonfly enthusiasts in the group!​We checked the pond, looking once again for Marsh Wrens, but only found a tame little Pied-billed Grebe. As we returned to the car, we noticed a flock of late Tree Swallows. We got in the car, drove to the nearest gas station, and treated ourselves to honey buns, skittles, and other snacks.

We then drove 20 minutes north to Innisfree Village, where a Loggerhead Shrike had recently been seen. We had instructions from other birders who had gone to see this rarity, and learned that it had also been seen earlier in the morning, so our chances of seeing it looked promising. We arrived at the spot and admired the gorgeous scenery: rolling pastures dotted with cedars and oaks, with boggy areas nestled in between the hills, all right up against the mountains.

After about ten minutes of searching, the bird was found sitting on top of an oak in field. We all enjoyed the bird and viewed it through the scope. We also noticed several insects skewered onto the barbwire fence we stood along—evidence of the shrike’s presence.

We watched the bird chase a Blue Jay around, later a Yellow-rumped Warbler. It finally came a bit closer and perched on a nearby cedar. How can a bird be so cute yet so menacing at the same time? ​We followed the bird around for another hour, enjoying the views, sometimes waiting for him to return from hunting. We departed, satisfied with a good morning of birding.​​By Max Nootbaar

Awesome trip! Although we came later in the day than we probably should have, we had a great time. We had a try at slower-paced birdwatching- instead of just adding to our life list, we took time to observe bird behavior, flight and calls. Just after we first arrived we heard a kingfisher, but all we found was a veery in a tangle of roots next to the water. We had hoped for some waterfowl, but somehow they sensed that there were birders in the area, and we saw not one duck. As the day went on, we observed carolina wrens, white-throated sparrows, and even

blue jays! It was great to get a closer look at their behavior- the carolina wrens looked like a mated pair, and they “talked” to each other- hey, babe, found some grubs over here!Then came the time that all birdwatchers dread- when the sun has finished rising and there isn’t a bird to be found. Everyone stopped to sketch the scenery. I tried to see if I could find anything and came upon a few song sparrows, white throated sparrows, and chipping sparrows foraging together and fighting over the right to the best patch of greenery. Finally, we stopped to picnic for a while and play bird games. A pair of yellow-rumped warblers appeared when we

least expected them, and we watched them search for food. They seemed to be after some sort of berry. Though we didn’t see any birds after the butter-butt pair, we tried our hand at entomology, luring yellowjackets with apple cider and catching them in pistachio shells- hint- do not do this at home. I am probably one of the few people to have ever been bitten, and not stung, by a wasp. We also observed buckeye butterflies coming through the area.

As we drove up the long, winding road to the Rockfish Gap hawk watch, the barely risen sun revealed a striking scene in the valley below us. We looked down on a solid layer of dark, heavy clouds. The gap of clear air that we were driving through quickly gave way to more clouds above us, obscuring the taller mountain peaks. A light drizzle filled the cool air as we reached the parking lot of the Inn at Afton, where the hawk watch is located, and where we planned to meet for the day's field trip. My plan today was to bird the Rockfish Valley Trail, a local hotspot in Nelson County, and than head back up into the mountains and bird the road known as State Route 610, or the Swannanoa road.

When I got out of the car, I heard the flight call of several warblers. Dylan, who just recently started birding with the club, quickly joined my brother and me. He pointed to a dilapidated, old road sign above our heads, and said he had seen birds in it. The sign had once read "The Inn at Afton," but the front had long since fallen off, revealing the sign's bright interior lights, shining like a beacon to migrating birds. When I raised my binoculars, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. More than 20 wood warblers sat on and near the sign's lights. Occasionally, another would drop out of the sky and join them, explaining the chips I had heard earlier. Just than, the rest of the trip's participants pulled up and joined us, making seven young birders total. We found blackpoll, bay-breasted, black-throated blue, Tennessee, chestnut-sided, yellow-rumped, and black-throated green warblers, northern parulas, and common yellowthroats. We even found a Nashville warbler in the sign.

We were excited by what this abundance could mean for the rest of our day. If so many warblers were in such a small area, in such strange conditions, maybe today would be a fallout. Fallout is a condition where due to sudden, severe weather, large numbers of birds migrating at night are forced down in a small area. Fallouts are highly sought-after events for birders, as they can result in rare species and unusual numbers of birds.

As the sun rose, the light revealed a more gruesome scene. Little bodies of black-throated blue warblers and common yellowthroats littered the parking lot, a sad reminder of the many dangers birds face on migration. These birds were probably attracted to the bright light of the sign and the Inn, and met their death by flying headfirst into these obstructions.

The thick cloud-cover had not thinned out much as we pulled into the parking lot at the Rockfish Valley Trail, a good sign for songbird activity. We walked under Route 151 towards the Glenthorne Loop trail, which is usually more productive for sparrows. When we arrived at the field I had seen two marsh wrens at the day before, I was disappointed to see that most of the sparrows were gone, and the marsh wrens were no longer present. Even so, we quickly found some swamp sparrows, and two gorgeous white-crowned sparrows. I walked ahead of the main group, and was relieved to have a Lincoln's sparrow, one of my favorite sparrows, hop out on a branch in front of me. Its gray face, buffy malar and crisp black streaking is so beautiful. I called to the rest of the group, and was very frustrated when it flew off before any of them could get on it. Luckily, we soon found a few more in with a sparrow flock on the Spruce Creek side, and we all had fantastic views. As we were wrapping up at the Rockfish Valley Trail, I spotted a small, dark falcon flying quickly overhead. It turned out to be a merlin, which was the first one seen in Nelson County that year, according to eBird. The merlin circled once, giving us a fabulous view, before it shot off down the ridge.

As we drove back toward Swannanoa road and the hawk watch, we felt like we were racing against time. The clouds were finally beginning to give way, and blue holes were appearing everywhere. It was also slowly getting warmer. When we got out of the car at the end of the Swannanoa road, it seemed our fears had been confirmed. The beautiful Fall foliage was silent. A turkey vulture soared lazily overhead. However, a closer inspection revealed ours fears that the birds would no longer be active were unfounded. Warblers slowly foraged nearly every tree, and many were surprisingly close to the road. We quickly found blackpoll, black-throated green, Tennessee, and Cape-may warblers, as well as unseasonably large numbers of black-throated blue warblers. As we walked farther down the road, we saw more and more birds. Late wood thrushes feasted alongside more seasonally common Swainson's thrushes in thick tangles of summer grape vines, laden with purple fruit. We found a late black-and-white warbler and an American redstart. Scarlet tanagers swooped over the road, and black-throated blue warblers chipped over our heads. We eventually also found magnolia, palm, pine, and yellow-rumped warblers.

Our final destination for the day was a golf course in the Old Trail neighborhood of Crozet, where someone had seen a clay-colored sparrow the day before. We had directions to the clump of pokeweed he had been in, and we soon found it. As we arrived, Baxter saw the bird hop down into the dense brush. We waited several anxious minutes for it to return, but we needn't have worried. It soon returned and sat preening itself on a poke stem while we watched. The clay-colored sparrow was an Albemarle lifer for everybody, and a lifer for Max and Drew.

​When I totaled up our day list that evening, I found we had seen 72 species. We had experienced a late Fall migration fallout, and we enjoyed ourselves very much. What an incredible day of local birding!​By Ezra Staengl

Clay-colored Sparrow (Spizella pallida), at the Old Trail Golf Course.

​The Blue Ridge Young Birders October meeting had good turnout, with more than 11 young birders, including two new kids. Many club members attended the first Saturday bird walk with the Monticello Bird Club which preceded our meeting, as it does every month. We saw some nice late migrants such as blackpoll and Tennessee warblers, and some winter birds, like yellow-bellied sapsucker and golden-crowned kinglet. Some members of our club also saw a red headed woodpecker fly over the field. At 9:30 we returned to the Ivy Creek Natural Area education building, where we had our meeting. We planned and talked about upcoming field trips and club events. Then Charlotte gave a presentation on her birding trip to Charleston, South Carolina. After the meeting, all the young birders participated in the traditional ten-minute birding blitz, a friendly competition to see the most species in ten minutes. Suddenly, as we were getting ready to leave, a gorgeous adult peregrine falcon flew over the building, with its powerful, seemingly effortless flight. What a fantastic end to a great morning!

​On September 30th, Baxter Beamer led the first ever Blue Ridge Young Birder Club field trip to Pocosin Cabin in Shenandoah National Park. The trip was well attended, with 11 young birder participants. As we drove up the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway, numerous species of blue and white asters bloomed by the roadside. When we got out of the car at the Pocosin Cabin Fire Road, the air felt cool and crisp. Around us, the black gums were already starting to change color, while many of the other tree species remained green. We encountered our first mixed species flock just after we passed the clearing containing Pocosin Cabin. Swainson’s and wood thrushes were everywhere, but try as we might, we could not find a gray-cheeked. Later season warblers foraged in the canopy around us, with Tennessee, blackpoll, and bay-breasted warblers being the most common species. We also saw blackburnian, black-throated-green, and black-throated-blue warblers, as well as northern parula. Good bird activity continued down the trail, and just as we were talking about how great a Philadelphia Vireo would be, Max called from up ahead that he had one. We all rushed to him, but by the time we got there, the bird had disappeared. Panicked, we started thoroughly searching the amazingly abundant blue-headed vireos for the vanished Philadelphia. Finally, the bird was re-found, and everybody had fabulous views as it foraged in a shrub directly above our heads. We walked back up the fire road at a more leisurely pace, stopping periodically to look for salamanders under rocks and in the little creeks that crossed the path. Aside from many common red-backed salamanders, Carson and Robert were able to turn up a southern two-lined salamander, and some monstrously sized northern dusky salamanders.By Ezra Staengl